We've decided to cut taxes. Not yours, though.
Great news, we all agreed on something. Well, just over half of us agreed on it, which means that we all agree. Remember: approximately half of us is equal to all of us, which means all of you. All of you have now technically agreed to the thing half of us agree on. And what have we all agreed on? We’ve decided to cut taxes.
Not yours, though.
Don’t worry, you’ll still be super pleased with this outcome—you just have to look at it from the right angle. Why? Because from a right angle, you’re looking straight up. Ninety degrees. And all the way up that axis, up where the richest people are, that’s where we’re cutting taxes.
Now, just because we’re catering to billionaire hoarders doesn’t mean that it’s all about the billionaire hoarders. You see, even though these tax cuts might benefit the very wealthiest in terms of raw dollar amounts, when it comes to relative share of income, they’re also the ones who benefit. So congratulations to them, and thereby, us, and therefore you, for being part of this by not being a part of it.
Q&A
Q: What’s really happening, though?
A: With what?
Q: With our taxes. I thought we were all getting tax cuts?
A: Sure, most American families will see their income tax cut down. But corporations and the ultra-rich will see a far higher portion and dollar amount disappear from the taxes that they already avoid paying—which is bad news for most American families, because taxes are how our social safety net is funded. The social safety net is meant to be a means of supporting those of us most at-risk, but as we’ve increased personal burden via lower taxes, we’ve landed in a tricky spot. Somewhere around 40 percent of Americans are just one missed paycheck away from poverty, and nearly 30 percent of Americans skip some form of medical treatment because they can’t afford it. These tax cuts will cause those numbers to grow, while billionaires become even bigger billionaires.
Q: We’re getting tax cuts, though?
A: Sure, yeah, but also—
Q: Awesome.
What I’ve been reading
Cruel to Your School, Jennifer C. Berkshire
“Hanging over all of these claims, of course, is the putrescence of race science, and the belief, shared by Musk and his fellow oligarchs, along with many Trumpian intellectuals, that hierarchy is both good and natural. In this view, a cognitive elite with the highest of the high IQs deserves to rule over the rest of us, all in our natural places. In this fixed economy of spoils, there is little point to an institution whose goal is “equalizing.” It can’t be done.”